Iraq, 1990. Under crushing sanctions, a school lottery selects one student from each class to bake Saddam Hussein’s birthday cake. When the tin reveals the name of nine-year-old Lamia, she must prepare the tribute. With sugar, flour, eggs and baking powder in short supply, she sets out with her grandmother to gather what’s needed, crossing marshland roads and crowded markets. Along the way, Lamia encounters bureaucratic indifference, resourceful traders and moments of unexpected beauty. Cinematographer Tudor Vladimir Panduru captures the misty waterways and dense city streets with an eye for both lyricism and unease. Hasan Hadi’s debut feature balances grounded realism with moments of poetic contrast, using the vantage point of a child to reveal the absurdities and quiet acts of defiance in daily life. Premiering in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, The President’s Cake became the first Iraqi film to win the Caméra d’Or and then also win the Audience Award.